Ghostly Breaths
by R. J. Niner
Summary: Meiko spends New Year's Day alone and forgotten in a park. Having lost sight of any meaning in her life, Meiko is convinced her boring lifestyle will never change until she's approached by a blue-haired stranger named Kaito. Will Kaito be the key to the needed change in Meiko's life? And just what is he hiding about himself? A very late New Year's fic.


**Somehow, I'm writing a Christmas turned New Year's fic with the setting as a park again… What is this, a theme?**

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Meiko sat there alone on the park bench, her body sprawled out as she let her head hang back over the back of the park bench. She watched as her breath came out in long puffs of white that slowly drifted off, wavering in form before disappearing into the darkening sky.

A part of her wished it would start snowing. She would watch those tiny flecks of crystalized rain pile up over each other, covering the ground and burying her in a warm, fluffy snow blanket. Meiko wondered if the snow blanket would provide her with the warmth it gave to the seedlings that burrowed themselves into the ground during winter, waiting for the first wind of spring to shoot out of the loose dirt and blossom into beautiful flowers. She would've loved to have that growth spurt, a resurgence in popularity. Why else would she be here in a deserted park on New Year's Day, stuck with nothing but a bottle of sake and a few dollars stuck in her pocket if she didn't have that much needed popularity?

Somewhere in the park, the speakers were softly singing an mellow song about an impossible romance. The lovely voice soothed her, and yet it set a bad feeling in her mouth.

The voice undoubtedly belonged to Hatsune Miku, the rising pop star who'd been dominating all the charts for months. Meiko sighed, letting loose another stream of white, misty breath. It was impossible for anyone to dislike such a sweet, adorable girl, with her turquoise twin pigtails and her gentle soothing voice that could sing anything ranging from rock to ballads. No wonder she'd been so quick to rise to fame. There was nothing to dislike, only more to love.

As if to match her depressed mood, a huge gust of wind started to pick up throughout the park. Meiko shivered and tucked her chin into the collar of her beige coat. She'd been out in the cold since that morning, walking around and drinking sake mixed with water to keep from getting drunk. There was nothing to do, nothing to celebrate about, no parties, no presents, not even a simple New Year's card to wish her a happy new year. All that was left in her tiny apartment were some faded pictures of her glory days long past and dirty dishware left to soak in her cluttered sink.

Just as Meiko let out another sigh and debated in her head whether she ought to get up or not, a cheerful greeting cut sharp and clear through the dreary evening.

"It's a nice day to be out for a walk, don't you think?"

Meiko lazily lifted her head up to glance at the blue-haired man, his blue eyes clear and bright under the flickering lamplight. She glanced around, wondering if maybe he was talking to someone else, but there was no one even close in their vicinity. He had to have been talking to her, as strange as it might be.

"Mind if I rest here a while?" the man asked, tugging his muffler down to reveal pale lips, the same misty breath evaporating with every word.

Meiko sat up and scooted towards one side of the bench, allowing the stranger to sit down. A smile emerged on his lips as he sat down and rubbed his hands together, breathing warm air on them.

"It's rare to find anyone out here in this park on the first day of the new year," the man remarked, staring up at the sky that was starting to glow a dark shade of blue. "Mind if I ask what you're doing out here, Meiko?"

"Just wasting some time," Meiko responded, letting loose another gust of misty air. It suddenly occurred to her that this stranger had just said her name, but she didn't think much about it. She wasn't in the mood to see if maybe this man was some stalker, especially not when the person beside her had given her one of the sweetest smiles she'd seen in a long time. For an adult, the blue-haired man had a certain child-like innocence to him, making his lanky figure look almost adorable.

"Ah, I see," the man slowly said, staring out into the distance. They sat there for a while, listening as Miku's voice pranced through her new hit single before moving on to some new song Meiko had yet to hear.

"I'm Kaito, by the way," he suddenly spoke up. "Shion Kaito."

"Nice to meet you then, Kaito."

Kaito let out something that resembled a giggle, indirectly bringing a small smile onto Meiko's face. She tried not to let it show, attempting to keep her grumpy look as she asked, "What's funny?"

"Nothing," Kaito brushed off, closing his eyes as if savoring the moment. "Nice to meet you again too, Meiko."

"Again?" Meiko asked, catching the extra word this time. "What might you mean by again?"

"Nothing," was the same response as Kaito glanced away, his expression blank. Meiko stared long and hard at Kaito's face, wondering if she'd met this borderline-annoying man before. Maybe, Meiko thought, there was something familiar about his sharp jawline, his oval, blue eyes, and his messy dark blue hair that fell in a wild yet natural fashion, over his eyes and ears and down to his neck. Not that she could tell. She'd met a lot of people before, and until now, she'd never thought it'd be important to remember.

"Anyways, too bad it didn't snow this year," Kaito remarked, very obviously changing the topic. Meiko was about to retort when the wind picked up again, carrying her unspoken words off into the distance.

Instead, Kaito continued, "I really wanted to see it snow again before I leave."

Meiko gave him a look. "Are you going somewhere where it doesn't snow?"

Kaito took a while to respond. He stared up solemnly at the sky and replied, "Well, I hope it snows where I'm going. It would be nice if it did."

Meiko frowned, her eyes narrowing as she studied Kaito again. What was this weird feeling she had about this stranger? Sure, it was strange enough to be suddenly approached by a man in the middle of a park, but there was something else off about the blue-haired man. His skin was too pale, giving him a fragile look that Meiko didn't dare touch him, for fear he'd shatter into pieces.

Meiko sighed and shook her head. She was thinking too much. The last time she put too much personal thought into her work, she'd gotten kicked out, fired if you'd have it. Reputation meant nothing when someone of more importance popped out of nowhere. Meiko had never thought her throne on the top of the music charts could be toppled so easily, but it'd happened, and now, Hatsune Miku was the pop star everyone wanted to hear about, and Sakine Meiko was the already forgotten failure of a music idol.

"Okay, enough of this depressing stuff!" Kaito declared, getting up on his two feet and stretching. Meiko stared at him, wondering if he'd somehow sensed her depressing thoughts, or maybe he himself was thinking of something upsetting?

"Miss Meiko, would you care to join me for a walk?" Kaito asked, holding out a pale hand for Meiko, who sat there staring at it.

"You know I'd be crazy to accept an offer like this from a stranger," Meiko pointed out, grabbing Kaito's hand gently as she got up off the bench. His hand was surprisingly warm despite what she'd expected, firm and sturdy as it helped pull her up.

Kaito just laughed good-heartedly. "Well, weren't you known for holding crazy concerts?"

"Ahah, so you did know I was Sakine Meiko!" Meiko exclaimed, a smile finally lighting up on her face. She didn't know if she should be relieved or happy, that someone still remembered her.

Kaito giggled a bit again. "Of course I did! You're my idol after all."

"Then why did you laugh when I said it was nice to meet you?"

"Because, well, it was funny how you were acting like I wouldn't have recognized you," Kaito admitted, scratching his head a little sheepishly. "And it reminded me of when we first met."

"When we first met?" Meiko found herself asking, her mind drawing a blank.

"Oh yeah, you probably don't remember, since you had so many fans," Kaito said, smiling at Meiko.

"Oh, um, sorry, I guess," Meiko said, shoving her hands into her pockets as they headed forth on the small path.

"Please, don't be," Kaito said, smiling as he kept up with Meiko, a light bounce in his step as his blue muffler fluttered in the wind behind him. "I got to meet you again. That's probably every fan's wish, to meet their idol in person a second time."

"Is that so?"

When Kaito gave her a cheerful nod, Meiko had to laugh a little. "Well, thank you, but I'm pretty sure you're the only one who'd be so excited to see me."

"Is that not enough?"

Meiko blanked for a moment, almost stunned by the simplicity of the question. For a forgotten pop start like her, wasn't Kaito right? Wasn't just one fan enough?

"You know what, you're right. I'm glad I got to meet a fan of mine again," Meiko said, giving Kaito a warm smile. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being my fan."

Kaito immediately returned Meiko's smile back, small dimples forming in his cheeks as he replied, "It's my pleasure."

They continued down the path in silence for a while afterwards, the wind gently blowing in their faces as the pebbled path crinkled underneath their footsteps. Miku's singing could still be heard off in the distance, playing from the speakers in the park. Not sure how to start a conversation with Kaito, Meiko instead found herself focusing on the cheerful tune of Miku's song, an upbeat song about never giving up. Meiko sighed, a small smile on her lips. No wonder everyone loved Hatsune Miku. Her songs were always so full of meaning, making it possible for a person to enjoy the song and learn a lesson from it at the same time. Of course Meiko had lost to the singing teen who'd just graduated from high school. Meiko's agents had always assigned Meiko sappy love songs to sing, claiming that that was the new trend. As much as Meiko hated it, it'd granted her a short-lived popularity, enough for her to get a taste of what it meant to be someone's idol. Now she was back to where she started, alone and unappreciated, having given no one any inspiration or guidance in their lives.

"You know what they should do?" Kaito suddenly said, breaking Meiko's train of thought.

"Who's they?" Meiko asked, glancing over at the blue-haired man, who had a thoughtful look on his face.

"They as in the park managers," Kaito replied. "They ought to play a song of yours."

Meiko couldn't help but snort at the idea. She gave Kaito a meek smile and pointed out, "Why would they do that? No one even knows that Sakine Meiko even existed."

"But I do, and I really liked all of your songs, so they should play one," Kaito argued back, something like a pout forming as he pursed his lips and crossed his arms, sticking his chin out slightly like a child too stubborn to listen to anyone else's opinion.

"Really? Even those crazy love songs?"

"Wasn't crazy your theme?" Kaito teased back, his blue eyes shining.

"Well yeah," Meiko laughed, rolling her eyes. "But you know, sometimes I think I would've liked to be portrayed as a more collected person."

"Then why didn't you do so?" was Kaito's question, matched with an adorably confused look.

Meiko just scowled at the memory of her "agents" who really had been looking for nothing more than a profit. She sighed, "Well, the higher-ups of the company thought I should have the 'crazily wild' image, thinking it'd make me more popular or something. But look where that got me."

"You should have just quit and done things the way you wanted," Kaito said.

"Easier said than done," Meiko pointed out. "You need a lot of support to make it in the music industry."

"But isn't bringing people happiness what being a singer is all about?" Kaito asked back, his brows furrowing a little.

Meiko paused for a moment. He had a point. Somehow, his words reminded her of something she'd said a long time ago, back when she was still a teenager dreaming of becoming a pop star. She'd simply enjoyed singing for the sake of bringing joy to people, but that had proved to be such a naïve thought in the music industry that Meiko had forgotten all about it altogether.

She sighed. When Kaito asked what was wrong, Meiko just shook her head and smiled at him. "You keep reminding me of how I should've acted when I was a singer," Meiko said, brushing her hair back out of her eyes. "No wonder I stopped being popular so quickly. I forgot my real goals and I started to depend on others too much, and now my ideals are being retaught to me by a stranger."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to sound preachy or anything. I just, uh, you know…" Kaito trailed off, his eyes quickly looking in the other direction.

"Don't worry, I'm not offended," Meiko laughed. "I'm glad really, to have met you here. You've helped make this New Year's Day a lot more meaningful than I'd expected."

"Really?" Kaito's expression immediately brightened up, a look of relief on his face. "I'm so glad I could help!"

Meiko took in the sight of Kaito's sweet, innocent smile with a small grin of her own. She decided she might as well pop the question that'd been bothering her this entire time. "Is this why you came searching for me tonight in this park? To lift my spirits up?"

"What? I-I didn't come looking for you or anything," Kaito stammered, his eyes looking around wildly as if searching the ground for words to so. "I just coincidentally saw you in the park, and uh, uh, I don't know…"

Seeing Kaito's troubled look, Meiko patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, I wouldn't be angry just because a fan was looking for me. But I am curious to know what prompted you to talk to me after all this time."

"You're not angry?" Kaito muttered into his muffler, eyes looking up at her with his head tilted forward.

"Why should I be?" Meiko answered with a smile. "Would you be angry if I went out of my way to help you?"

"I suppose not," Kaito admitted, grinning sheepishly as he scratched his head.

"Exactly. So answer the question," Meiko laughed, not letting the issue go even though she found herself not really caring for an answer.

"Oh, well, I was watching over you, and you seemed to be in the slumps, so I thought I might help you like you did for me," Kaito replied honestly, giggling a little into his muffler.

"Gasp!" Meiko feigned horrified surprise, though she was still grinning. "Could you be my stalker?"

"I wish," Kaito laughed back. "I would make sure no one would ever make you sad, Meiko."

Meiko's smile widened as she let out a chuckle. "Isn't that sweet of you?" she said, staring up at the night sky above. She glanced back over at Kaito's eyes, noticing how they matched the deep blue of the sky that had yet to reach total darkness. She commented, "Strange too. Usually people don't like to be accused of being a stalker."

"Well, being a stalker means you're alive and following around the person you love, right? It's always better to be alive, and with a goal nonetheless, don't you think?" Kaito responded.

Meiko took a moment to process that. She stopped in her tracks and stared at Kaito, who gave her a confused look back. Meiko gulped, still trying to understand the meaning behind Kaito's words. She stammered breathlessly, "What do you mean by that?"

"By what?"

"You'd rather be a stalker just to be alive?" Meiko asked, trying to steady her breathing as she stared at Kaito in disbelief. "Are you trying to say you're…dead?"

Kaito's expression froze over, his smile cracking into something more horrified, like his darkest secret had just been discovered. He stammered, "No, no, I-I didn't mean it like that. I didn't mean to, to say that or anything. Really. I really just didn't, I didn't want you to know."

"Kaito, what are you?" Meiko asked, gingerly reaching out to grab Kaito's trembling hand despite not knowing if Kaito was even human anymore. Everything was starting to baffle her, from being approached by a stranger who cheered her up, to now finding out maybe the supernatural world wasn't as fictional as she'd thought. But even despite that, there was something inside her that hated seeing Kaito look so insecure, so she grabbed his hand, wondering if it might steady him.

"I don't know," Kaito muttered, pointedly not looking in Meiko's direction, though not shaking off her hand. "I guess, I'd be what you'd call a ghost?"

"You don't know?"

Kaito shook his head. "I just woke up from the car accident like this, and somehow after wishing to be able to help you, I suddenly got something of a physical body back."

"Is that so?" was the only response Meiko could think of as the wind howled on, ruffling through their hair.

"I'm sorry," Kaito murmured, burying his face in his hands. "I didn't mean to lie or anything. I just really wanted to help you and if you knew that I, that I wasn't alive anymore, I didn't know how you'd react."

"Well, I'm surprised, that's for sure," Meiko admitted, crossing her arms and tucking her chin into her collar. "It's not everyday you get approached by a ghost."

"I-I'm sorry," Kaito mumbled again, sinking down to the ground into a squat. "You must think I'm creepy, for, you know, bothering you even though I'm dead."

"What are you talking about?" Meiko exclaimed, clapping Kaito on the back. She'd acted without thinking, which usually meant she ended up hitting people to hard even as a joke. Kaito ended up wheezing for breath, coughing and spluttering as he fell on all fours. It was actually quite funny, to think a dead person would react the same way someone might if they were alive, but Meiko stuffed her laughter down her throat and managed to ask Kaito if he was okay without smirking.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kaito mumbled, still gasping for breath. "Just, what were you about to say?"

"Hmm?" Meiko stared at him before remembering the reason she'd "patted" Kaito on the back. "Oh, just that you're wrong."

"About what?"

"I don't find you creepy," Meiko truthfully answered, offering a hand out to Kaito. "You helped raise my spirits up, and even if you're a ghost or whatever, I'm glad to have met you. So thanks."

Kaito stared up at Meiko for a while, eyes wide so that the light of the lampposts hit his eyes at just the right angle to make them look like they'd been lit up, ablaze with disbelief and yet shining like the brightest jewel. Just as suddenly, Kaito broke into a big smile as he leapt up and gave Meiko a quick hug before stepping back, hands clasping Meiko's. His eyes alight with relief, he smiled, "Thank _you_ for not being scared of me!"

Meiko couldn't help but notice how Kaito's eyes seemed to squint together every time he smiled, the shine in them still glowing softly, making her feel warm instead despite the cold air. She managed to laugh and lightly ruffle Kaito's already messy hair, saying, "As if anyone would be scared of someone as sweet as you."

Kaito just giggled some more, rubbing his head from where Meiko had touched him. They continued to walk down the path, this time with a lot less awkwardness than before. Meiko found herself enjoying her conversation with Kaito. They might've just met, and Kaito might've been a ghost, but somehow Meiko didn't mind talking about herself and learning about Kaito. It was fun, exciting, and Meiko couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so happy.

"By the way," Kaito suddenly asked. "Did you make any new year's resolutions?"

"Hmm? Not really," Meiko shrugged. She thought for a moment before adding, "Well, there wasn't a point before, since I didn't know what I was doing, but now I think I might try to work harder to get back to where I was, even if it's difficult."

"That's a good one," Kaito grinned.

"What about you?"

Kaito blanked for a second before letting out a giggle again. "Silly Meiko, what's the use of a ghost making resolutions?"

"Oh," Meiko muttered, realizing the stupidity of her question. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"No, it's fine," Kaito said, lightly bumping Meiko in the shoulder and giving her a smile. "I got over it. Though I did have a goal in mind after I died."

"Really? What was it?" Meiko asked before wondering if she was being rude. She hastily added, "You don't have to tell me of course."

"Well, I wasn't going to, but I might as well, since I don't have much time left," Kaito said as he glanced up at the moon that was trying to hide behind the dark clouds, almost as if he could sense what time it was.

"Oh, is that so," Meiko said in a sullen tone. It was one thing to have made a dead friend. But the idea that her ghost friend might just disappear in any moment was just more depressing to think about.

Kaito just nodded and continued, "So I just wanted to thank you for inspiring me, and I hope I was able to help you."

"Was that your new year's resolution?" Meiko joked, trying to lighten up the mood, more for herself than anything else.

"Yep," Kaito chirped, a smile appearing on his lips. "You see, when I was in college, I was super unmotivated to do anything because nothing inspired me. I wanted to be a singer, but everyone was always telling me to give it up because I'd never achieve my dream, so I ended up wasting all my time doing nothing until I went to one of your concerts. You probably don't remember, but when I met you in person, you were so cheerful, especially when you found out I had been thinking of becoming a singer. You looked so excited and encouraged me so much, telling me all about how great it was to make people happy through your singing, so I thought to myself, 'One day, I want to be able to talk to you like this again, not as a fan but as an equal in the music industry.' But of course, before I succeeded, the accident happened, but even then, I was really glad that you had given me something to strive for in life, so I wanted to do the same for you."

Meiko's mind was taking an excessively long time trying to process Kaito's words. Her face flushed red the moment she did though, as she stammered, "Wait, so even after you were dead, you still wanted to help me out of my slump even if I didn't know who you were?"

"Yes?" Kaito asked, not understanding Meiko's reason. With brows furrowed, he leaned forward to inspect Meiko's face. "Why are you embarrassed?"

"B-because it's so horrible of me to forget something like that," Meiko mumbled, barely opening her mouth to let the words through as she hid her face in her hands.

"Meiko, you shouldn't blame yourself for anything," Kaito said soothingly, patting Meiko on the head softly with a chuckle. "You'd be insane to remember every single fan you met, and I'm here with you now, aren't I? It makes me happy enough just to talk to you again like this."

"I guess," Meiko mumbled, sneaking a glance at Kaito. She'd never been patted on the head before, not even by her parents, and it was strangely a nice feeling, even if Kaito and she had just met.

"Besides, I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable, especially since I have a feeling I have to go soon," Kaito said, smiling warmly as Meiko finally straightened up and regained her composure.

All of Meiko's calmness sunk immediately down to her feet as a strange coldness consumed her instead. Right, Kaito was going to disappear soon, off to go wherever spirits went in the afterlife.

As if to confirm her fears, from somewhere in the distance, Meiko thought she heard a bell ring twelve times, long and slow, signaling the coming of the end of the first day of the year. Every toll resonated through the air, riding along the winds, deep and mellow, almost as if it didn't exist, as if it were just a figment of her imagination that echoed in her mind, reminding her that time was passing by quickly. Too quickly.

"It's getting late, isn't it?" Meiko emotionlessly remarked, her eyes still focused on Kaito's deep blue eyes. They were sucking in her reddish brown eyes, inviting her inside and yet at the same time, Meiko knew there was no chance for her to fully understand the secrets hidden in the depths of those beautiful orbs. Their time together was too short. It was the first time in a long time since Meiko had wanted to spend more time with another person.

"Yeah," Kaito said, staring up into the sky again, his blue eyes wandering from star to star, as if searching for something up in the heavens above. "I suppose I'll have to leave soon."

"To where?"

"I'm sure you know the answer to that, Meiko," Kaito replied, letting loose another misty breath that intertwined with Meiko's own clouds of misty breath, swirling around each other until they vanished from view.

"Do you have to go?"

"Hmm, well, if I didn't, I'd be defying the laws of nature, don't you agree?" Kaito cheerfully said, though his smile seemed to go beyond just plain happiness. There was a hint of sadness inside his dazzling blue eyes, even if his smile was genuine.

"Aren't you afraid of what lies in store for you after death?" Meiko asked, finding herself gripping Kaito's hand even tighter. She suddenly realized she must have been the one who was afraid Kaito, her newfound friend and motivation, just might suddenly disappear before her eyes.

Kaito just shrugged with a small smile. "Maybe, but it's going to happen even if I'm afraid of it, so I guess it's better to be brave and face it head on, don't you think?"

Meiko stared sullenly at her feet. "I suppose you have a point," Meiko sighed, clutching Kaito's hand tighter as their fingers intertwined.

Kaito just let out his signature giggle, a hand hiding his mouth almost shyly. "But no matter what," Kaito added, staring at Meiko's eyes, "I'll always be watching over you."

"How do you know?"

"I just know it," Kaito said with a determined tone, glancing back up at the skies. He suddenly let out a small squeak of delight. "Look! It's snowing!"

Meiko glanced up just in time to watch a small snowflake float through the air and land right on the tip of her nose. The coolness emitted by the tiny crystal as it melted against her skin sent a tickling feeling down her spine as Meiko watched Kaito excitedly try to catch a few snowflakes. As she was watching though, something strange started to happen.

"Hey, Kaito," Meiko started warily, "you're glowing."

Kaito looked down in surprise. Indeed, his image was starting to flicker as the snow fell around them, some flakes drifting through his body as it became illuminated by a soft glow that was growing brighter by the moment.

"Oh, it's time for me to leave, isn't it?" Kaito said calmly, glancing back up at Meiko with a sad smile.

Meiko felt like her throat was clogging up, a indescribable discomfort settling in her heart. Without thinking, she grabbed Kaito and pulled him into a tight hug, whispering, "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"Hehe," Kaito let out a small giggle again, hugging Meiko back and pressing a light kiss onto her forehead. "I didn't even do much though."

"No, you've done more than enough," Meiko murmured into Kaito's shoulder, her face buried into Kaito's coat. "So wherever you go, you better be watching. I'll become a popular singer again in no time for both of us."

Kaito just silently released himself from her hug and gave her one last smile as the light was growing stronger, making it hard to see the outline of Kaito's figure. Even then, his blue eyes was shining clearly, illuminated with light that projected back onto Meiko. Kaito tugged his muffler down to reveal his pale lips as he said, "Then please keep on fighting, Meiko. I'll always be cheering for you!"

Meiko shielded her eyes as a bright light burst out from within Kaito, who vanished into the chilly night air, leaving behind only speckles of fuzzy, warm light that danced away into the skies above. She stood there for a while, hands in her pockets, her eyes watching as the puffs of light drifted off, farther and farther away until she could see nothing but the light snow falling down to the earth.

Suddenly, she cracked a smile, staring at where the warm light had once been. She whispered into the night air, "Thank you, Kaito. I won't forget you this time."

Meiko headed off back through the park, humming the tune of one of her popular songs. She might not have had the support of everyone behind her back, but just knowing that someone, a single person, was out there rooting for her, Meiko felt a warm confidence growing inside her. Even if that person was no longer there, gone for a distant land she'd never reach, Meiko was willing to give it her all to fulfill the hopes of her only fan.

Just as she reached the outskirts of the park, she stared up at the sky, just as Kaito had done, watching the snowflakes he'd so longed to see sway to an unheard tune in the wind. She wasn't quite sure what she was searching for but was confident she'd know it when she found it. As if to answer her, a streak of light raced its way across the sky, a shooting star to mark the way for the new year.

Meiko didn't even have to think about what she was going to wish for.

"I hope that it snows wherever Kaito is going too," Meiko whispered before tucking her chin into the collar of her coat and heading on home, a cheerful bounce in her step and a newfound goal in her life.

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**A/N: Is it just me or is this one-shot excessively long, confusing and not well-written at all? Sigh… There's one resolution: write more concisely so I don't have stories that drag on and on.**

**Anyways, Happy (belated, belated) New Year! I hope everyone has been enjoying the new year so far! This was meant to be a Christmas fic, that I changed to a New Year fic which I still didn't finish it, and now it's a (very) belated (and long) New Year fic haha… **

**My New Year's resolution this year shall be… to sleep more. And update more I guess. XP And I suppose to also stop slacking off in school…**

**Anyways, thanks for reading! And thank you for putting up with my horrible habit of procrastination. Hope you all are having a great start to a new year! **


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